Signaling devices ?

[So Cal Divin]

Hello

Does anyone make a signailg device that a diver can use if they were going to be unconscious bt the time they hit the surface to signal for help ?
One with a on/off button as opposed to a momentary button .
Don't wan't to here the lectures on dive buddies or diving alone or how you came up unconscious.
Just think it is a viable idea for any diver to think about .

TIA Jeff

 

[IndigoBlue]

Hello

Does anyone make a signailg device that a diver can use if they were going to be unconscious bt the time they hit the surface to signal for help ?
One with a on/off button as opposed to a momentary button .
Don't wan't to here the lectures on dive buddies or diving alone or how you came up unconscious.
Just think it is a viable idea for any diver to think about .

TIA Jeff

Jeff, we normally screen potential dive students to make sure they do not have any pre-existing medical conditions that would ever lead to unconsciousness underwater. Those are called contraindications to diving. Anyone with a contraindication should not dive.

Having screened, we then normally try to train them so that they never do anything that would end up with them becoming unconscious underwater. Diving too deep with nitrox could cause unconsciousness. Diving with contaminated air in your tank could cause unconsciousness. Skip breathing could cause unconsciousness, although it normally causes nothing more than headaches. Narcosis followed by a major mistake like dumping all your air from your B/C when you meant to inflate it could lead to a plunge into the abyss and unconsciousness. Those and other things are what we try to train divers to prevent from ever happening.

The next level of emergency response would be by the dive buddy. Hopefully the dive buddy has some rescue exposure (NAUI introduces scuba rescue in the basic open water course) or better yet, a basic rescue certification. It is important to be able to stay with your buddy, and for each buddy to be able to help each other out.

As an added measure, some course directors / store owners encourage new divers to purchase jacket style B/Cs so that if they do end up unconscious on the surface, that the B/C will float them with their faces up.

With those procedures in place, consisting of 1) screening, 2) training, and 3) buddy diving, you would hopefully never end up unconscious while diving.

That only leaves unknown medical conditions that could lead to unconsciousness. And there is not much you can do about that, if you do not know about it. Annual medical physicals might discover something. Physical fitness might prevent it. But if your time has come, fate has intervened, and there is probably little you can do about it. Even with a signalling device, that somehow triggers itself if you should end up unconscious at the surface, is not going to accomlish much. And certainly not much, in comparison to what a dive buddy could accomplish for you instead. I do not believe there is a market for such a signalling device.

 

[So Cal Divin]

The point I'm trying to make is that you can't pre screen for a medical condition known as "PANIC."
It seems the last couple of articles that I've read in Rodale's Scuba Diving-Lessons for Life were about experienced divers. Eg; One was a deep wreck diver that broke some rules had a dive buddy and panicked when he briefly lost his dive buddy who was trying to correct the victims low air sitiation.
He ended up popping his cork to the surface in full DCS. He didn't die but probably wishes he did.
The second case involved a cave diver who ended up breaking the rule of thirds and diving solo. He ended up dead. He was found with his gear half off.
In both cases if they would have had a signaling device it may have not helped their situation they put theselves in but it would have helped in recovery of a body or quicker response for a rescue to be made. They say the magic hour is the difference between life and death.

An alarm like the ones on the computers most of us use that lets you know your descending too fast would be an idea. With a manual alarm for those with the faculties to know were in trouble and won't be able to do anything about it on the surface.
Electronic, LOUD and can only be turned off by a concious person is my thought.
I've always wondered what would happen if I was caught deep with out air or my buddy in sight. How much ingested water does it take to pass out.
Now mind me I never plan on going that deep or be in that situation I'm sure most of us BELIEVE that.
I'm a rec. diver not a wreck (deep) diver. Although some day I would like to dive the UB88 if it's ever allowed by the public.
Point is you can't account for panic enough. Or even being narced at depth.
I agree that with experience comes confidence or over confidence and a lot of us learn from our mistakes but it only takes once.
Man, can I ramble.
Back to my original question.
Does anyone make a signaling device that a diver can use if they were going to be unconscious by the time they hit the surface to signal for help ?

Jeff

 

[bwerb]

The point I'm trying to make is that you can't pre screen for a medical condition known as "PANIC."

Back to my original question.
Does anyone make a signaling device that a diver can use if they were going to be unconscious by the time they hit the surface to signal for help ?

Jeff

Feel free to have at it...I don't know of anyone who I would dive who would consider using such a device. If you don't need it...don't take it with you. I need my buddy...I take him with me. Practice and drills makes for great panic eliminators and a calm buddy takes you the rest of the way. This sport we are doing has it's risks but the total cluster which would result in me somehow surfacing alone and unconscious is so far down on my list of things I'm concerned about when diving it doesn't even bear consideration.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Does anyone make a signaling device that a diver can use if they were going to be unconscious by the time they hit the surface to signal for help ?

.. to determine if the diver were unconscious.

You could use a deadman switch that activated when the diver released his/her grip... but most folks would benefit more from having full use of both hands.

Or I suppose the diver sensing impending unconsciousness could, as a last desperate act before the lights went out, activate the "Come get my solo diving body and return it to my loved ones Air Horn."

 

[DFC5343]

We carry a signaling device. Its a combo flare/smoke emmitter. For night, flare and day use smoke. It is required for every dive using a non tethered diving system (SCUBA, Rebreather, MK15). That device has been phased out and now a specific device for day or night use is the norm. I hear your question but unless the rescueres know the signal the rescuees will still be in peril.

 

[Snowbear]

Does anyone make a signailg device that a diver can use if they were going to be unconscious bt the time they hit the surface to signal for help ?

How does one know they are going to be unconscious when they hit the surface?
Hmm - Uncle Pug's air horn could only work if the unconsciousness was not caused by lack of breathable media. Or perhaps it has it's own redundant air source?
You mentioned Panic - I would bet a paniced diver desperately trying to surface would not remember to find and activate his "I'm about to lose consciousness" button.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Now there is the perfect application for a Spare Air... powering the "Help, I've gone diving by myself and now I'm unconscious floating on the surface Air Horn."

 

[Snowbear]

Now there is the perfect application for a Spare Air...

Hey - it might even last a full minute at 100' - um - that is - if the impending unconscious sunken solo diver had the presence of mind to activate it prior to succumbing...

OK - Sorry So Cal Divin - as you can see, some of us are not taking your idea very seriously. However, if you DO invent such a device, I'm sure sales will be brisk. Royalties from such projected sales will be most welcome wink

 

[IndigoBlue]

The point I'm trying to make is that you can't pre screen for a medical condition known as "PANIC."
It seems the last couple of articles that I've read in Rodale's Scuba Diving-Lessons for Life were about experienced divers. Eg; One was a deep wreck diver that broke some rules had a dive buddy and panicked when he briefly lost his dive buddy who was trying to correct the victims low air sitiation.
He ended up popping his cork to the surface in full DCS. He didn't die but probably wishes he did.
The second case involved a cave diver who ended up breaking the rule of thirds and diving solo. He ended up dead. He was found with his gear half off.
In both cases if they would have had a signaling device it may have not helped their situation they put theselves in but it would have helped in recovery of a body or quicker response for a rescue to be made. They say the magic hour is the difference between life and death.

An alarm like the ones on the computers most of us use that lets you know your descending too fast would be an idea. With a manual alarm for those with the faculties to know were in trouble and won't be able to do anything about it on the surface.
Electronic, LOUD and can only be turned off by a concious person is my thought.
I've always wondered what would happen if I was caught deep with out air or my buddy in sight. How much ingested water does it take to pass out.
Now mind me I never plan on going that deep or be in that situation I'm sure most of us BELIEVE that.
I'm a rec. diver not a wreck (deep) diver. Although some day I would like to dive the UB88 if it's ever allowed by the public.
Point is you can't account for panic enough. Or even being narced at depth.
I agree that with experience comes confidence or over confidence and a lot of us learn from our mistakes but it only takes once.
Man, can I ramble.
Back to my original question.
Does anyone make a signaling device that a diver can use if they were going to be unconscious by the time they hit the surface to signal for help ?

Jeff

Sorry Jeff I was not trying to lecture you. I was trying to save you wasting money from inventing something nobody needs. You sound like an inventor.

My Suunto beeps when I ascend too fast.

It is harder than heck to DESCEND too fast. NAUI TEC sanctions 75 fpm for descent, which means you get to 75 ft depth in 1 min. That is not easy. You practically have to valsalva all the way down. When diving in high currents the divers will sometimes try to descend fast to get under the current since its usually less at the bottom. The newbies pull themselves down the anchor line instead.

Tech divers are the least likely group to panic. They are more likely to do something really stupid, like planning and executing a low-percentage survivability dive.

Who is going to hook on a body-recovery signal? That is tantamount to admitting that your dive plan is low-survivability. Planning and executing a low-survivability dive is one thing. Admitting it, is quite another thing!